Whispers
by Phantom Rottweiler
Summary: Moving on means accepting everything that has happened. Why, why is everyone acting differently. "You shouldn't be here" Rated T for safety; some language in later chapters. Feel free to review / rate. P.R.
1. Whispers

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE NAMES, PLACES AND EVENTS IN THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS!

**WHISPERS**

Ben Tennyson instantly sprung up in bed; the amount of light pouring through his blinds and a quietness of the house made him take a quick glance at his alarm clock.

"Six forty-five!" he shouted before making a desperate attempt to get dressed and out the door to school in less than fifteen minutes before the first bell rang.

Rounding the corner Ben raised his left wrist and dialed out the exact alien he needed. Big chill took flight and in a hurry; although it was not the best choice, it was enough to get Ben all the way to school with a few moments to spare before the bell rang.

Huffing and gasping for air, Ben flopped down in his chair next to Julie in science class. Normally, just seeing him, Julie would smile with a slight giggle and make a witty comment, but today she sat staring at the white-board - low eyes and a deep sigh told him that something were wrong.

"Hey, Julie…" Ben managed just as the bell rang; not even that brought her from her thoughts while the teacher began a monologue about protons and neutrons.

"Does anybody know the ion balance of normal table salt?" the teacher asked. Sure he knew the answer, Ben - without hesitation - raised his hand. The teacher glared around the room before dropping his hands to his sides "Come on, does anybody know?" again Ben raised his hand, this time stretching it as far as he could. Still nothing. "Guys, look. I know you've all got a lot going on, but you could at least humor the senile old square teacher…"

"Mr. Barson!" Ben stood with hand still raised; to his surprise, the teacher paid him no attention as he continued glaring around the room. To everyone's surprise, Julie instantly jumped up and ran out of the room - her hands covering her face to hide the tears in her eyes yet deep sobbing huffs mad it clear her current state.

"Julie; wait!" Ben darted after her; in the hallway, he glanced around to find she disappeared without a trace.

_X_

"Kevin; Gwen, wait up" Ben shouted darting from the school building to Kevin and Gwen standing by the Camaro - Gwen in Kevin's arms with her face buried in his chest; Kevin leaning his head close to hers while staring towards the sky. Opting to give them some alone time, Ben opened the passenger door and climbed in; turning back, he noticed the door remained closed as though it were never opened; Kevin and Gwen still standing in each others grasp.

"This is weird…" Ben muttered scratching his head.

The entire day so far had being weird. Everyone acted as though he weren't there at all, even when he did something that would catch attention, nobody gave notion of presence. Even Cash…the one that would notice Ben gave nothing more than a quick glance past him.

The car ride was awkwardly silent as Kevin kept his eyes firmly planted on the road. Gwen kept her focus out the window. Soon enough, Gwen climbed out and up the steps to her home; Kevin slowly pulled away - a sniffle was his only reaction.

"Kevin? What's going on?" Ben asked as Kevin pulled into a vacant garage and turned off the engine. Content with the fact he was alone, Kevin ran his hand through his hair before slamming fisted hands against the steering wheel followed by a tormented howling growl of agony - not that of physical but rather emotional. For as long as Ben knew him, Kevin was never the type of guy that would break out emotionally; and seeing the raven haired teen sobbing like a little boy that just lost his puppy Ben's heart sank.

_X_

Ben sighed stepping into the living room of his home; out of reflex, he didn't bother to watch how he closed the door as it slammed forcing him draw his shoulders up. Normally someone would make a comment about him slamming doors but nothing came.

"Mom? Dad? Anybody home?" Silence. Checking the kitchen, a small office, even his parents room he noted they were nowhere to be found. Walking to the open door of his room, Ben slowly peered in an smiled seeing his parents looking around.

"Hey guys, your one and only son is home…" he stood with arms stretched out for a hug yet his folks remained unphased. "Ah-hem…I'm home from school…" still nothing. "Okay! Fine! Jokes over! Just tell me what I did already…" his words stopped abruptly as his mom burst out in tears - his father taking her within his arms.

[_ to be continued_ ]


	2. Voices

I don't own anything…wish I did…maybe in the future someone might be writing fan-fics about something I did…

VOICES

Ben roamed the Pier. Although he were surrounded by dozens of people he felt he were the only one there. Instantly he stopped, threw his hands in the air and yelled as loud as his pipes could handle. Nothing. Not a single person stopped to see what the commotion was about.

"Damn it! What is going on here!" his tone turned gruff from the shouting.

"They can't hear you Ben…" a deep voice rang out forcing Ben to whip around and lower into a power stance, stepping from the ring toss booth, a boy about his age wearing all black clothing with pale white skin tones "…they don't even know you're here. And if I might add you're a slippery one to track down; here, there, no rhyme or reason" the boy continued as Ben studied him intently with a cynical glare of skepticism. "Perhaps I should introduce myself; my name is Reaper…"

"_Reaper_?"

"Yes; that's what I go by. And you shouldn't be here." the pale kid spoke as Ben sat on a small bench by a trashcan.

"Why not…this is where I live after all…"

"NO! You shouldn't be _here_" Reaper reiterated his point. Ben gave him a confused glare. Sighing, Reaper snapped his fingers until they stood in a time earlier in the day right after the end of school. Both stepped closer to Kevin and Gwen standing in each others arms

"I'm going out for another round tonight"

"Kevin, no…"

"I've got to. I've got to find him; even if it's too late…I've got to know"

Another snap; Ben and Reaper stood over Julie in the girls room - Ben blushing slightly when he realized where they were; Julie bellowed deep huffing sobs. Taking notice of something odd in her purse, Ben knelt down and picked up a small slip of paper - CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL FOR BEN TENNYSON…followed by a time and location.

"Ben…" she cried out; Ben reached over, gently put his hand on her shoulder, slowly she looked up and him "…it's like I can still feel you…" she broke out in tears yet again.

Another snap. This time they stood in the living room of Ben's home. His parents sitting on the couch in each others arms.

"What could have happened to our baby Ben?" his mother sobbed hysterically

"I…" his father began softly "…I just don't know…" he too let a few lone tears slip. Ben had enough. Without warning he grabbed Reaper by his shirt and slung him hard against the wall.

"Alright. Enough is enough. Start talking before I go Humongasaur all up and down your ass!"

"Ben, stop and listen for one second…" Reaper smirked; the response Ben had seen from Kevin thousands of times before. A beeping version of the funeral dirge echoed from Reapers pocket, he held his finger up "I've got to take this…" his words faded as he slipped past Ben towards the kitchen.

With Reaper in the kitchen, Ben took the time to kneel down before closing his eyes. His mind raged with millions of thoughts a second; all of which returned to trying to figure out what happened. Nothing came to mind. No answers; no hints, no clues. It remained just as confusing as ever.

A snap echoed clearly; looking around, Ben found himself and Reaper standing on the side of the road.

"Hey, we're about a block away from school…"

"I know. The boss told me to quit jerking around and get you back to you before it's too late" he paused noticing Ben raising one finger on the verge of saying something "don't bother trying to figure it out…some things mere mortals aren't meant to understand"

A pair of headlights on the distance drew their attention; slowly, the sound of a roaring Camaro engine came into louder audible range. Ben yelped out as Reaper gave him a jolting shove off into thick brush.

"This is for your own good. So long Benjamin Tennyson…" Reapers words faded as did his presence in the closing headlights.

Kevin slowed; turning on the emergency flashers slowed further until the car made nothing more than a creep. Seeing an oddity in the brush, he stopped the car, got out with an impossibly large flashlight and began searching. Everything looked like it should. _Green. Nothing but green in darkness and a hand with streaks of red…a hand with streaks of red!_ Instantly he brought the beam of light back. Peach skin tones; a green jacket, blue jeans, and a toxic green eye; his mind raced realizing what he stared at.

_X_

Kevin paced aggressively enough to wear the polish off the waiting room floor; Gwen sat in the far corner with Julie at her side; Ben's parents nervously watching Kevin's unending straight line movements.

"Something, anything. Why don't they at least tell us something…" Kevin demanded tightening his fisted hand as his speed increased. Gwen stood, moved in front of Kevin stopping his pacing, she reached out putting her hands on his shoulders.

"Kevin…I know it's nerve-wracking, but the only thing we can do is wait. You've done everything you could; it's out of our hands now" hearing this, Kevin turned; drew a deep breath and sat down on a small chair. Gwen followed as he put his face within his hands, again she put a hand on his back.

"Just because I heckle him doesn't mean I don't like him. After all, you two are pretty much the only friends I've ever had; even if you still question me, you've been there to keep my ass out of the fire" tears streaked his eyes and cheeks as Gwen drew him closer "If only I didn't go harassing him about his height, he wouldn't have gone walking home alone…he'd be right here and we'd be off battling…um…regular teen stuff…" his breaths turned short and shallow, tear droplets splashing against the floor.

"No. You couldn't have known. This was just one of those things"

"A paper cut is just one of those things. A flat tire is just one of those things. Running out of clean clothes is just one of those things…THIS ISN'T just one of those things!"

_X_

Kevin suddenly sprang up from the couch in his living room "Two quarts of Ionized Ethylene Glycol" he shouted with one eye closed and the other barely open. Between getting home a quarter past midnight, having an impossible time trying to sleep and being awoken at only four in the morning Kevin was not in the best of shapes. For all he knew, he could have been knocked upside the head after being drugged. After a few short seconds the ringing and vibrating phone in his pocket brought him that much more from a restless slumber. He pulled out the cell phone, held it close then far away - neither helping his eyes to focus on the number.

"_Kevin, it's Gwen. Meet me at the hospital…_" was all he heard before darting out the door to his car.

_X_

"This is medically, scientifically and astronomically impossible…" a doctor uttered as a damaged Ben looked at everything around him; to his side, his parents remained absolutely speechless. On his other side, Kevin; Gwen and Julie stared blankly unsure of what to make of the situation. "This much physical damage, he should be…" the doctor trailed off while looking over the teen with a broken leg and arm along with three ribs snapped cleanly in half, a bandage wrapped around his head, hundreds of cuts and bruises leaving him basically unrecognizable.

"S…" Ben tried whispering, everyone took notice and immediately leaned in closer "…S…sm…"

"What's he saying?" his mother had to ask dumbfounded

"Something with an S in it" Gwen responded listening as hard as possible.

"S - smoo…"

"S - smoo?" his father asked shaking his head unable to decipher the code.

"Smoothie?" Kevin asked; in response, Ben forced a slight smile "You want a smoothie?" Ben this time forced himself to lick his lips hoping to taste the liquid that were not there.

_X_

Kevin was only supposed to go and buy only one small smoothie; to everyone's dismay, he returned with carriers upon carriers; his reaction remained.

"He didn't say what he wanted so I got one of everything to be on the safe side"

[ _to be continued…]_


	3. Shouts

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT**__** OWN THE NAMES, PLACES AND EVENTS!**_

_A big heart filled congrats if you've made to the third and final chapter; hopefully most if not all of everything get's explained. P.R._

CHAPTER 3

_I don't know how to explain it. I was there but I wasn't there…it was like a bad dream that I couldn't wake up from. It wasn't life, it wasn't death, the closest thing I can figure is that it was some kind of 'half-way' point…a holding cell of sorts while the paperwork gets sorted out. _

Two long weeks have passed. Ben adjusted to life as best as possible with the current physical limitations, each passing day Ben pondered if he experienced everything or it were the trauma that tricked his mind into thinking it was real. Life with limitations was the biggest change, there were, however, more important differences. He and Julie spent more time together, Gwen seemed more cautious of life, and Kevin withdrew more and more - almost making mentally distant protection for Ben.

_X_

"I will find 'em!" Kevin huffed pacing back and forth around Ben's living room, the younger watched as the older tightened and loosed both hands at the thought. "And when I do find 'em, I'm gonna make 'em pay!" his glare narrowed and along with his voice turned cold.

Almost instantly Ben snapped viciously. "Kevin. No. The last thing we need is for you to wind up in jail"

"That son-of-a-fu…" Kevin's lip curled exposing fangs "…that jackass hit you and ran off! He left you for dead…you by all rights _were_ dead"

"I understand you're mad, I'm mad about it too, but going vigilante won't solve anything. I'm not telling you, not ordering you, not commanding you, I'm _asking_ you not to go looking for trouble"

"Ben…how can you be so cool about this!"

"Because. Part of moving on means accepting everything that happened"

A wave of silence. Whether or not Kevin wanted to admit it, Ben was right about everything. Kevin often trusted Ben to make the right decisions, yet this was one of those few times when he couldn't fully trust what the un-official leader of the trio decided. With this Kevin turned to leave, but before he reached the door he stopped and turned his head ever so slightly.

"I'll try hold myself, for you…but I can't make any promises" silently he left, alone Ben took a deep sigh.

_X_

The day was hot; stale motionless air hung thick around Gwen and Kevin as they walked from a small store that sold specialty cookies. Gwen looked over to the raven haired teen whom seemed lost in his own little world far away from reality, there was an aura around him that she didn't like; she couldn't name it but she knew it meant something wasn't right.

"Going to tinker with your car this weekend?" she tried making small talk which only lead to a shrug from him. "Going to go see a movie?" another shrug. _This is going nowhere…_ she thought to herself as Kevin suddenly stopped - his glare blank yet fully focused.

Kevin stood staring at a small truck for several minutes before Gwen too saw what he was looking at.

"That truck…" he finally broke his silent state taking a few steps closer before kneeling down in front of the vehicle; leaning over, Gwen studied the front end with him running his hand around visible damage. "Too little to be a telephone pole, too much to be a dog. Defined center of mass to the right half…"

"Can I help you two with something?" a taller man asked drawing the teens attention, both looked up and smiled slightly.

"Couldn't help but notice you've got some front end damage. If you want it, I've got a few friends in the body shop business that ow me a favor, they could get that buffed out for you no time flat" Kevin stood up and pointed with a slight chuckle.

"That's nice, but I think I'll keep it the way it is, you know? Gives 'er some character…"

"Say, um, if you don't mind me asking, what _did _you hit?"

"Oh, you know, just a deer"

"Really…"

"Yeah, strangest thing, just jumped right out in front me, I only had enough time to panic brake…darned thing got right up and trotted off" all three gave an uncertain laugh at the explanation.

"You want to know what's really strange…?" Kevin grinned "Ain't no deer around these parts"

"Did I say deer? I meant…"

"A person? About oh this tall?" Kevin asked holding his hand at Ben's height "…wearing blue jeans and a green jacket?"

_Shit, they know…_

The man instantly darted as far and fast as possible. Which would have been a good distance if Kevin didn't tackle him just past the back bumper of the truck. Unsure of what to do, Gwen reached into her pocket for her trusty cell phone.

"So you're the jackass that tried killing my friend and her cousin…boy I've got so many things I want to do to your pathetic carcass that, quite frankly, I don't know where to begin" Kevin instantly stopped but kept a firm hold on the man. _Kevin, no. The last thing we need is for you to wind up in jail…_Ben's voice echoed in his mind.

Seconds. Minutes. Kevin lost track of how long he kept the man pinned to the street with sirens in the distance drawing closer. The only thing he consciously remembered was the feeling of being pushed off to the side by an officer cuffing the man before throwing him in the back of the squad car.

_X_

Ben turned his attention from a word search as his cousin and friend came into the living room. The ghostly zombie like trance that Kevin was in caught Ben's attention right away.

"Kevin? What's wrong?" Ben asked sitting up easily as he could muster while Kevin sat down across from the couch and coffee table.

"We found him…" Kevin sighed keeping his glare on the floor

"Please tell me that you didn't…"

"No, I didn't. I wanted to, I urged to, but I didn't. Because moving on means accepting what happened…" his eyes raised to meet Bens as a smile crept across his face. "…besides, without me around, you two wouldn't have a ride to check out alien activity "

Ben nodded. If he ever felt proud about Kevin, this was the moment.

* * *

**A/N: **The man is currently serving a three hundred year - attempted murder / hit and run / assault with a deadly weapon / fleeing the scene of an accident - sentence in jail.

Ben recovered without any permanent damage. Kevin and Gwen have even started dating, Ben and Julie are now closer than ever before.


End file.
